I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 417 

To reduce the total number of civil service employees in the executive branch 

of the Government through attrition, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 20, 2015 

Mrs. LUMMIS (for herself and Mr. MULVANEY) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

A BILL 

To reduce the total number of civil service employees in 

the executive branch of the Government through attrition, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Workforce Re5 duction Through Attrition Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ means an 

9 Executive agency as defined by section 105 of title 


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1 5, United States Code, excluding the Government 

2 Accountability Office. 

3 (2) BASELINE QUARTER.—The term ‘‘baseline 

4 quarter’’ means the quarter in which occurs the date 

5 of enactment of this Act. 

6 (3) FEDERAL EMPLOYEE.—The term ‘‘Federal 

7 employee’’ means an employee as defined by section 

8 2105 of title 5, United States Code. 

9 (4) QUARTER.—The term ‘‘quarter’’ means a 

10 period of 3 calendar months ending on March 31, 

11 June 30, September 30, or December 31. 

12 (5) TOTAL NUMBER OF FEDERAL EMPLOY13 EES.—The term ‘‘total number of Federal employ14 ees’’ means the total number of Federal employees 

15 in all agencies. 

16 SEC. 3. WORKFORCE LIMITS AND REDUCTIONS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President, acting through the 

18 Office of Management and Budget (in consultation with 

19 the Office of Personnel Management), shall take appro20 priate measures to ensure that, effective with respect to 

21 each quarter beginning after the date of enactment of this 

22 Act, the total number of Federal employees determined 

23 for such quarter does not exceed the applicable maximum 

24 for such quarter. 


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1 (b) APPLICABLE MAXIMUM.—For purposes of this 

2 Act, the ‘‘applicable maximum’’ for a quarter is— 

3 (1) in the case of a quarter before the target4 attainment quarter, the number equal to— 

5 (A) the total number of Federal employees 

6 determined for the baseline quarter, reduced by 

(B) 2 7 ⁄3 of the number of Federal employees 

8 separating from agencies during the period— 

9 (i) beginning on the first day fol10 lowing the baseline quarter; and 

11 (ii) ending on the last day of the 

12 quarter to which the applicable maximum 

13 is being applied; and 

14 (2) in the case of the target-attainment quarter 

15 and any subsequent quarter, the number equal to 90 

16 percent of the total number of Federal employees as 

17 of September 30, 2013. 

18 (c) TARGET-ATTAINMENT QUARTER.—For purposes 

19 of this Act, the term ‘‘target-attainment quarter’’ means 

20 the earlier of— 

21 (1) the first quarter (after the baseline quarter) 

22 for which the total number of Federal employees 

23 does not exceed 90 percent of the total number of 

24 Federal employees as of September 30, 2013; or 

25 (2) the quarter ending on September 30, 2016. 


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1 (d) METHOD FOR ACHIEVING COMPLIANCE.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para3 graph (2), any reductions necessary in order to 

4 achieve compliance with subsection (a) shall be made 

5 through attrition. 

6 (2) EXCEPTION.—If, for any quarter, the total 

7 number of Federal employees exceeds the applicable 

8 maximum for such quarter, then, until the first suc9 ceeding quarter for which such total number is de10 termined not to exceed the applicable maximum for 

11 such succeeding quarter, reductions shall be made 

12 through both attrition and a freeze on appointments. 

13 (e) COUNTING RULES.—For purposes of this Act— 

14 (1) any determination of the total number of 

15 Federal employees or the number of Federal employ16 ees separating from agencies shall be made— 

17 (A) on a full-time equivalent basis; and 

18 (B) under section 4; and 

19 (2) any determination of the total number of 

20 Federal employees for a quarter shall be made as of 

21 such date or otherwise on such basis as the Office 

22 of Management of Budget (in consultation with the 

23 Office of Personnel Management) considers to be 

24 representative and feasible. 


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1 (f) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The President may waive 

2 any of the preceding provisions of this section, with re3 spect to an individual appointment, upon a determination 

4 by the President that such appointment is necessary due 

5 to— 

6 (1) a state of war or for reasons of national se7 curity; or 

8 (2) an extraordinary emergency threatening life, 

9 health, safety, or property. 

10 SEC. 4. REDUCTION IN PROCUREMENT OF SERVICE CON11 TRACTS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—For each fiscal year beginning 

13 with the first fiscal year after the date of enactment of 

14 this Act, the President, acting through the Office of Man15 agement and Budget and subject to subsection (b), shall 

16 take appropriate measures to ensure that there is a reduc17 tion in the amount expended for the procurement of serv18 ice contracts for such fiscal year equal to the reduction 

19 in the amount expended for the Federal workforce in the 

20 previous fiscal year as a result of the requirements of sec21 tion 3. 

22 (b) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The President may waive 

23 the requirements under subsection (a) upon a determina24 tion that such waiver is necessary due to— 


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1 (1) a state of war or for reasons of national se2 curity; or 

3 (2) an extraordinary emergency threatening life, 

4 health, safety, or property. 

5 SEC. 5. MONITORING AND NOTIFICATION. 

6 The Office of Management and Budget (in consulta7 tion with the Office of Personnel Management) shall— 

8 (1) continuously monitor all agencies and, for 

9 each quarter to which the requirements of section 

10 3(a) apply, determine whether or not such require11 ments have been met; and 

12 (2) not later than 14 days after the end of each 

13 quarter described in paragraph (1), submit to the 

14 President and each House of Congress, a written de15 termination as to whether or not the requirements of 

16 section 3(a) have been met. 

17 SEC. 6. REGULATIONS. 

18 Any regulations necessary to carry out this Act may 

19 be prescribed by the President or his designee. 

Æ 


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